Red and Green
by Arania
Summary: Continued. Same story, different POV. This time it is explored from a Xindi Insectiod's POV.
1. Default Chapter

I like writing very general stories. This is actually based off something totally different, but I thought it had the potential to apply to Enterprise very well. I'm a developing writer and this is an experiment story for me. This time I'm practicing point of view.  
  
Disclaimer: Shuttle pods belong to Paramount. That's all I use in this story. Rating: PG (higher) for violence.  
  
Loss  
  
It's interesting how a single moment can change everything. One minute you have hope, expectations, and joy. When he heard her say she loved him and didn't care about anything else, he looked over in shock, almost, and then a strange overwhelming feeling as if he was filled with something to the point that he would burst in his happiness.  
It was an odd place for it. They had just escaped from the attackers and were moving back to the safe haven of their pod when she had stopped. He turned, asked if it was wrong and then heard her say it. He just stood there, dumb, not knowing what to do. He knew he would replay this moment in his mind a thousand times if not a million and know exactly what he should have done right then, but no words or action came to him with the exception of a strange lopsided smile.  
And then the shots rang out and he met her eyes, knowing they had to run. But even the intense fear that should have driven him onward did not come and he felt light and happy as he ran. She was with him and they were going to make it. He found the pod, opened the door and gestured for her to come in after him. But then hearing the shot and seeing her fall was like a knife to his heart and seemed to be an endless moment, as if gravity had forgotten its pull on her momentarily. By the time he reached her she was dead; the blood poured from the fatal wound and the eyes which he had so often found himself lost in had gone dull. She breathed no more and no blood pulsed in her veins.  
Something inside him snapped. With a new energy, one totally unlike the previous one, he pushed himself up from the ground and ran straight at his attackers. In their surprise to see their prey turn and run at them completely unarmed they were shocked and didn't even fire a shot at him until he had already killed one with his bare hands and taken the gun. The next few minutes were a blur as this frustration, this hatred let itself go. They had taken her away from him and with her all the future they could have had together. His anger would not be easily alleviated.  
When he finally regained his senses he was surrounded by the bodies of his enemies all killed by his hand or the gun he had fired. He manic rage had given him the strength to avenge the one he loved and had been taken from him just when their time was about to start. He stumbled back to her body and tried to kneel by her.  
It was at this moment he realized that he had not come through the fire unburned. He saw his own crimson blood flow on the ground, pool and mix with hers. He looked down and saw the deep cut on his own torso and saw that the bleeding could not be stopped by any of the bandages that the emergency kit would contain. He did not care, though, even though he could feel his life spilling out of him with the blood from his wounds. He instead sat down with his back supported by the pod. He then put his arms around her body and cradled her close to him. He then allowed himself to cry in huge painful sobs that shook his already weakened body, willing her to come back but knowing that he instead would join her soon in the endless sleep.  
Eventually his tears ceased as the darkness took him and he slumped down from his sitting position to one on the ground. When the ship finally responded to the distress signal long sent earlier they found the two together, looking peaceful, if bloody, with their enemies dead all around them. The man who had known them both as friends looked upon the scene and only said, "He was my friend, and she was my support. Without them, I am lost."  
  
El Fin 


	2. Black

Black  
  
Chapter 2 I guess. This is the same story told from a Xindi Insectoid's POV. I gave this one a more focused and direct POV as well as explored Insectiod culture.  
  
Rating: I moved it up to PG-13. It gets gory-ish.  
  
Reviews would be nice but no matter what you say I'll keep writing. Even if you don't review, I keep writing. I hate it when people say that and, I write if I feel like it.  
  
Nine, as he was called in their language, was on patrol that day. He was guarding the supply of fuel that they needed for... Well, Nine wasn't sure what it was needed for, but the mother had said it was important. Three didn't question, after all, he had just shed his second shell and he had to respect his elders. Also on patrol with him was Five, his older egg- brother. Five and Nine had the same egg-parent, and were born from the same Hatchery and belonged to the same number-group.  
  
Nine liked feeling important, that he was doing something for the mother, even though it was tedious work. Nine walked around the perimeter of the facility holding his laser weapon. He was very careful with it. Five was on the other side and Nine was supposed to check in with him every hour. It was getting close to the time so nine when to the corner and clicked, "No disturbance reported, all clear."  
  
Five didn't respond. Nine clicked the message again, but again there was no response. Nine went around to check where Five was supposed to be patrolling and found him lying on the ground, his weapon gone. Nine felt him with his antenna and saw that Five was still alive, just stunned, probably by a laser weapon.  
  
Nine reached out to the ones within the compound and mentally clicked to them "Intruder Alert, Five stunned, Intruder Alert."  
  
The compound sent back to him, "Acknowledged, Nine, guard door if intruder tries to escape that way." Nine moved in front of the tunnel door, peering into what would be darkness to one without insect eyes.  
  
Nine didn't have long to wait, out of the darkness ran two warm- blooded creatures, obviously not any of the Xindi races, Nine braced himself and began to fire, but one of the creatures responded with his own gunfire. Nine got hit, but found the energy was not enough to fully knock him down.  
  
"The gun's batteries must be low." Nine thought as he shook off the shock and began pursuing the humanoids. The shock had stunned him enough that he couldn't vibrate his wings to fly after. He sent a message back to headquarters "Have encountered two humanoids running north from hive, can only pursue on foot, backup suggested."  
  
Nine was losing ground on them because of his still-sluggish reflexes from being fired upon. Nine ran quickly nonetheless. Soon Three, the ground leader, Seven, Twelve, and Fifteen flew down and joined him in running. Fifteen, who was Nine's younger egg-brother, clicked to him impatiently.  
  
"They're humans, our enemies; they have a ship less than half a kilometer from here. We have to run; they shot down Ten when he flew over." Nine clicked an affirmative and put extra energy into his run.  
  
The squad cleared the forest and could make out the pod ahead of them. They were catching up.  
  
"Set weapons to kill," Ordered Three. Nine knew from that the two had killed already. Three seemed upset. Nine hoped that a mother was not among the dead. That would be a travesty. There were so few mothers now and some of the big egg-fathers had to take over and lead instead.  
  
The egg-fathers were more violent than the mothers, because the egg-fathers wanted to protect their children. Mothers, according to the scientists, had stopped contributing to bearing egg-children so long ago that they had lost all egg-instinct and saw in terms of more than protecting children but working for all insectiods.  
  
Nine clicked his weapon in place and then saw a flash of color near the pod. He lifted his weapon and fired. Nine could sense that his shot had connected and when the squad broke into the clearing nine saw what he had hit.  
  
The bigger humanoid was bent over the smaller one, who had green liquid running from a laser wound on his or her side (Nine's mother had once explained that humanoids still had mothers who with the fathers produced egg children, but Nine could not tell the difference between male and female among other species). Nine knew that the smaller humanoid was dead from his laser wound. The bigger one suddenly got up and charged at Fifteen.  
  
Nine barely had time to react. He had never seen a humanoid move so quickly before. Before Nine could raise his gun the humanoid had snapped Fifteen at his joint and taken his gun. Nine fired but his gun was shot out of his hands. This humanoid was manic and it made Nine wonder if he had killed a mother of the humanoid's species and if that was what had driven him mad.  
  
The humanoid continued firing and killing insectiods until he was drenched with their black blood. Many of Nine's egg-brothers were killed. Then the humanoid came toward Nine. The look in his eyes convinced Nine that somehow this creature knew Nine had been the one to shoot his companion. Nine felt fear, a sensation insectiods usually don't know. Nine was weaponless but he still had his claws. He ripped out at the humanoid's torso, making a long slash diagonally. The humanoid bled crimson blood all over the purple uniform he wore but he seemed undeterred.  
  
Nine realized at this moment that he would not survive this fight with the humanoid. Even if Nine bled him of every last drop the humanoid would fight on. Nine desperately slashed out, wounding the humanoids arms and face, taking out one eye. The humanoid looked redder now than any other color, but none of Nine's attacks ever deterred him, he kept on coming. Nine's limbs flailed desperately as the humanoid reached out with his red hands took his head as if in embrace, and twisted.  
  
Nine lost all control of his wings, legs, and abdomen and flailed about helplessly. White froth flowed from his neck and he vomited his black blood. The seizures at last ended and Nine, drenched in the crimson blood of the humanoid as well as his own black lay still. He saw the humanoid kneel next to the smaller one, take it in his arms, and sob.  
  
Nine knew this act was like when he sang for a dead mother. The humanoid had treasured and loved the other one and Nine killing that loved one had caused the other enough pain that he had killed all of Nine's squadron.  
  
Nine almost felt guilt as his eyes finally closed and the pain disappeared. 


End file.
